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Looking at his disciples, he said:

\u201cBlessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,\xa0when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets. (Luke 6:20-26)

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This is Luke\u2019s version of the Sermon on the Mount, usually referred to as the Sermon on the Plain because Luke sets the scene with Jesus standing on a level place.\xa0 After withdrawing for prayer, Jesus has just named and called his twelve disciples and now he teaches them, along with a whole crowd of others from around the land.

In Matthew\u2019s version of the beatitudes: that\u2019s all they are, beatitudes.\xa0 Blessings.\xa0 But here in Luke we get both sides of the coin.\xa0 Blessings and woes.\xa0 And the woes get a little close to home.\xa0

This is an unavoidable theme in the gospel of Luke.\xa0 \u201cHe has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty\u201d says Mary in her song, the Magnificat, at the beginning of the gospel (Luke 1:53).\xa0 Jesus similarly declares in Luke 4 that his mission is to \u201cproclaim good news to the poor\u201d (Luke 4:18).\xa0 And unlike Matthew\u2019s beatitudes where it is the \u201cpoor in spirit\u201d who are blessed: Luke unavoidably refers to the materially, economically poor.\xa0 The people who are actually, physically hungry from malnutrition.\xa0 There is no spiritualizing Jesus\u2019 words.\xa0 Which also means that we can\u2019t wriggle ourselves out of the woes on the rich either.

Who can deny that the majority of us have received our good material comforts from a disposable income most of the rest of the world would call wealth?\xa0 Who can deny that three square meals a day equates to being well fed?\xa0 Who can avoid the fact that before covid, and even during it for some, having the disposable time to binge watch the Olympics or participate in whatever other entertainment or gatherings with friends and family has led to a relatively easy life of laughter and joy?\xa0 \xa0

Do we also have our sorrows and hardships?\xa0 Of course we do, but nothing more than is common to the rest of humanity.\xa0 What we have that is not common to the rest of humanity is peace, security, health care, and financial stability, even wealth.\xa0 \xa0\xa0

So what are we to do with this teaching of Jesus then that seems to single us out for woes and future disaster?\xa0 Are we left to just feel guilty for living where we do and having what we have?\xa0 No, I don\u2019t think so.

Jesus\u2019 mission statement from chapter 4 draws on Isaiah 58.\xa0 It seems to me that Luke has Isiah 58 in mind in chapter 5 and 6 of his gospel as well.\xa0 We\u2019ve heard Jesus talk about fasting, Sabbath, poverty and wealth, and tomorrow about a generous life.\xa0 That\u2019s Isaiah 58 in a nutshell, where one of the central invitations is to \u201cspend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed.\u201d\xa0

It\u2019s not wrong to have wealth.\xa0 But Jesus always invites us to remember that we who have it are only trustees of something that does not actually belong to us.\xa0 Like Joseph overseeing the grain distribution in Egypt\u2014wealth is entrusted to us by God so that we might distribute it to its intended recipients according to his direction.\xa0 This, I think is Jesus\u2019 kingdom intent: that we spend ourselves and all that has been entrusted to us on behalf of those who are poor, hungry, and weeping from oppression.\xa0 \xa0\xa0

Doing so freely and openly might lead to a lot of messy realities, especially if we were to offer our church property and assets freely to those in need--like those in need of shelter or food, for instance.\xa0 Our church lawn and building might become dirty or damaged, an eyesore: a site of inconvenient realities that cause folks to speak badly of us.\xa0 But, maybe that\u2019s part of what Jesus means when he says blessed are you when people hate and insult you because of the Son of Man.\xa0 \xa0

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